Heatwave sparks more fires

Jeremy Guest: July 2011

The heatwave sweeping Greece and the Greek islands has sparked another spate of wildfire outbreaks. A forest fire in Apraos in north Corfu swept across several hectares of forest before firefighters could manage to bring the blaze under control. Another Corfu blaze in the nearby area around Loutses razed around three hectares of forest.

A fire near Rethymno, in Crete, was fanned by strong winds in tinderbox dry conditions. Water-dropping planes were dispatched to help efforts on the ground.

And a fire in Aghios Nikolaos, on Zakynthos, was brought under control after several hours, local authorities said.

Three forest fires started within minutes of each other a on the Ionian island of Kefalonia at Minies, Pokolata and Lakithra.

A total of 74 fires were reported across the Greek islands in the space of 24 hours and the national fire service is expected to remain busy as sweltering temperatures are set to rise even more, reaching 40°C in some parts, with no sign of the winds easing.